Marvel Crosson
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Marvel Crosson | |
|---|---|
 Crosson in the cockpit of a Ryan Brougham, ca. 1929 | |
| Born | April 27, 1900 Warsaw, Indiana, US |
| Died | August 19, 1929 (aged 29) Arizona, US |
| Known for | Aviator |
Marvel Crosson (April 27, 1900 – August 19, 1929) was a pioneer aviator, and the first female pilot to earn a commercial license in the Territory of Alaska. She worked in both California and Alaska and died in a crash during the first Women's Air Derby. She was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2011.
She was born to Esler Crosson and his wife Elizabeth Wynant Crosson in Warsaw, Indiana, the hometown of Elizabeth Crosson.[1] Her brother Joe[2] was born in Minneapolis, Kansas, where the family lived on a ranch. Her sister Zelma was born later. The family relocated to Sterling, Colorado.[3]
Aviation career
In 1922, the Crosson family moved to San Diego, California. Marvel and Joe became fascinated with aviation and together bought their first airplane, a Curtiss N-9. Joe Crosson moved to the Territory of Alaska to take a job as a pilot. Marvel followed soon afterward and earned her commercial pilot's license there, the first woman in the territory to do so.[4] She joined her brother in his business, piloting and keeping the equipment in working order.[5] She helped her brother transport a monoplane from San Diego to New York for Hubert Wilkins. After working as a commercial pilot in Alaska, Marvel returned to California. She set an altitude record of 23,996 feet (7,314 m) on May 28, 1929, while piloting a Travel Air J-5.[6][7]
